Amid the ongoing Middle East tensions, French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that France will increase the number of nuclear warheads in its arsenal, marking the first such rise since at least 1992. Speaking from the L’Ile Longue military base in northwestern France home to the country’s ballistic missile submarines, Macron said he had taken the decision to strengthen France’s nuclear deterrent.
“I have decided to increase the numbers of warheads of our arsenal,” he said. France currently maintains fewer than 300 nuclear warheads. Macron did not specify the new total. Macron said the new posture would "provide for the temporary deployment of elements of our strategic air forces to allied countries," but said there would be no sharing of decision-making with any other nation regarding the use of the nuclear weapons.
Nuclear aircraft to be deployed in allied nations
Macron also unveiled a new strategic posture that allows for the temporary deployment of French nuclear-armed aircraft to allied countries. He said this move is meant to strengthen European security at a time of growing global tensions. However, he made it clear that France will not share decision-making authority over its nuclear weapons with any other nation.
The final call on their use will remain solely with the French president. Talks on closer nuclear cooperation have begun with several European countries, including Britain, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden and Denmark.
Message aimed at Europe’s security concerns Macron’s speech comes as European leaders express concerns about long-term security guarantees, especially amid tensions with US President Donald Trump. France is the only nuclear power within the European Union. Britain also maintains nuclear weapons, but it is no longer part of the EU.
Macron said France’s nuclear forces are meant to deter any major threat, warning that no country, however powerful, could fully protect itself from the impact of such weapons.
